Sattari in Forum on Technological, Innovative Policies in 6th Development Plan:

Reforming Views, Culture-Making Base of Knowledge-Based Economy

Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology Dr. SorenaSattari addressed the Iranian MPs and participants in the Forum on Technological and Innovative Policies in the 6th Development Plan, and underlined that reforming views and culture-making is the basis for the materialization of knowledge-based economy in Iran

Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology Dr. SorenaSattari addressed the Iranian MPs and participants in the Forum on Technological and Innovative Policies in the 6th Development Plan, and underlined that reforming views and culture-making is the basis for the materialization of knowledge-based economy in Iran.

According to a report by the public relations and information center of the scientific and technological department of presidential office, Dr. Sattari addressed the Forum on Technological and Innovative Policies in the 6th Development Plan which was held by the parliament’s research center, and said, “The most basic necessity of the knowledge-based economy in Iran is paying attention to reforming the past cultural views on economy and that business can be created from any problem and we should accept that no fields is more valuable than the research for investment.”

Sattari stressed the government’s policy of separation of research on realms of knowledge and trade research, and said no definition of a specific customer is the main plague for research.

“Research on realms of knowledge is the place where the government should focus its investment on it,” he added.

The deputy head and secretary of the board of trustees of the Innovation and Flourishing Fund referred to the fact that no trade can be carried out by the government’s financial aids, and said, “The gratuitous money is like a deadly poison for trade since the final product will not be desirable to the market.”

Dire need to reforming thoughts

Sattari underscored the promotion of new views in the country, and referring to the wrong culture of evaluation of a person based on his/her properties, said, “This culture has infiltrated in the country’s economic body too and we cannot reach the new view by writing laws but we should start the job by reforming our thoughts and we should know that moving from an oil-oriented economy to a knowledge-based economy needs continued cultural job.”

“The law to support the knowledge-based companies and in line with it the Innovation and Flourishing Fund is going to be a place which doesn’t merely see the physical properties but assess people based on their knowledge, thought and innovation,” the deputy head and secretary of the board of trustees of the Innovation and Flourishing Fund said.

“The art of knowledge-based economy is the settlement of problems and it can create business from any problem without inflicting any damages on the environment,” he added.

Sattari described the law to support knowledge-based companies as one of the most progressive laws of Iran, and said, “Among the abundant laws of the economic and innovation field, certain laws should be paid attention and one of them is the law to support the knowledge-based companies. The law is fully progressive and transparent and specified regulations have made it dynamic and efficient.”

The Iranian vice-president for science and technology underlined the government’s pioneering role in making policy on research, and said, “When the government wants to do the job directly, it will not reach the destination since any governmental body and ministry moves towards a different direction.”

Importance of startups in economy

The head of the National Elites Foundation stressed the necessity for paying attention to the values and capabilities of human resources, and said, “I regret when I see that one of the Iranian academics has presented his/her startup worth of several million dollars outside the country but we haven’t been able to use the person’s potentials and capabilities by creating the proper bio-ecology for his/her activity.”

“The startups form an important part of the knowledge-based economy and our country’s universities as the place of birth for this event are not the proper place for their growth and they need other environments to grow,” he added.

Necessity for paying attention and supervising technology

The Iranian vice-president for science and technology pointed to the necessity for paying attention to management of technological imports, and said, “The world states seriously pay attention to understanding the technological needs and it is necessary that in addition to understanding the technological needs, we know what technologies and products we need to import to the country; since many of the country’s technological needs have been purchased again and again in vain.”

Sattari said that risk taking, creation of grounds for cooperation and support, creation of bio-ecology for innovation and attaching importance to the academics’ thoughts are the necessities for materialization of knowledge-based economy, and added, “We should not only involve one percent but 100 percent of our country’s budget in technology so that the knowledge-based economy will enter all aspects of the country’s affairs.”

The Forum on Technological and Innovative Policies in the 6th Development Plan was held in the previous building of the parliament in the presence of the Iranian legislators and thinkers in the field of economy, science and technology.